To the
Bishops, regular clergy, and faithful of the Anglican Rite Roman
Catholic Church, greetings and Apostolic Blessings on this Feast of
the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the Year of Our Lord
2012. We are pleased to report continued growth among the clergy, lay
officials, and laity of our Particular Church. This year has thus far
seen the joyous consecration of a new Bishop and the installation of
a Metropolitan, and there will be another episcopal consecration
approximately two months from now. We have also ordained seminarians
to the various minor orders. Growth in religious vocations has
increased, particularly in our Franciscan order. These clergy and
religious are vital for the Church in carrying out her mission. We
thank God for this increase and pray that all clerics and religious
will continue to receive every grace and the blessing of God in the
fulfillment of their vocation. Also, we enthusiastically commend the
various lay apostolates that are underway and growing in membership
and mission. We pray for their leaders and members, that God may
bless them in doing the work of Christ and His Holy Church.

The Holy,
Catholic, and Apostolic Church seeks and promotes peace and the
freedom and welfare of all mankind. It is through Christ that all may
be truly free. Of particular importance now in history is the state
of religious and individual freedom in the United States. We have
spoken and written on the issues of faith and morals pertaining to
the government and public sector on several occasions, and now the
issue is reaching a climax. America was founded on Christian
principles and was an overtly Christian nation until very recently,
when the modernist, liberal, and secular movements sought to change
this. Indeed, it is because America's true nature is as a Christian
nation that those of all faiths, or of no faith at all, are welcome
here. Now Christ's Holy Church finds herself under attack from the
government and from parts of society at large. Religious freedom is
severely threatened to a level many could hardly imagine would ever
be reached in America. Under the guise of increasing tolerance, the
level of intolerance against the doctrine, traditions, beliefs, and
practices of the Christian Faith has increased dramatically.
Disagreement and debate have been replaced with the idea that anyone
who disagrees with the lifestyle of another must necessarily fear or
hate that person. As the Venerable Fulton Sheen stated, however,
tolerance must be applied to people, never to principles; intolerance
must be applied to principles and never to people. The Christian
people have a right and a sacred duty to stand up for the principles
of their faith. Many in society and the government today seek to
suppress and eliminate that right. Yet, we must remember that our
rights and our duties as Christians come from God, not from any
earthly government or power. We must serve God first.

While we
expect and demand our own rights, we must remember always the rights
of others and do our best to treat all people with love. Let us
remember, though, that we can display tolerance and love towards
others while remaining intolerant towards principles. Blessed Paul
the Apostle said that we should never fail to admonish our brothers
and sisters, lest they fall into temptation. That is our duty. We
cannot remain silent simply because modern society may accuse us of
acting out of fear or hate. Instead we must always remember the truth
and act out of love and compassion. To act with love is to act
without self-interest or ulterior motive. This is not easy, but it is
a necessary goal.

Acting
with love and compassion towards others applies especially to the
care for those who cannot care for themselves or are marginalized,
including the poor, the sick, and the infirmed. There is a definite
need for comprehensive health care reform to make health care
accessible and affordable. There is no excuse for the wealthiest
nation in the world to have such vast numbers of people without
health care. Control of health care must be wrested from those who
act out of greed and are motivated by profit and given to those whose
primary concern is the welfare of others. Health care is not a right
for those who can afford it. Whether one lives or dies should not be
decided by how much money one has in the bank.

Also in
great need of reform is immigration. A country must be able to
control its borders. Yet, humanitarian concerns must always be
considered. Borders must be controlled out of justice and mercy. The
understandable desire of immigrants for the chance of a better life
in America must be balanced against the impact on the existing
population. Borders cannot be opened without control, for the result
will be chaos. Human interests may not be sidelined for economic
interests. Decisions must be made not out of self-interest or
partisan politics, but for the common good.

Entering a
country against its laws, other than in legitimate refugee cases, is
dishonest. However, we must never allow ourselves to speak about or
act towards illegal immigrants in a way that relegates them to a
sub-human position. Rather, we must think towards immigrants, whether
those immigrants are legal or illegal, as brothers and sisters in
Christ. The human needs of illegal immigrants must not be denied
while they are in the United States, even if they are ultimately
deported. Amnesty for current illegal immigrants has been discussed,
but such actions can only be legitimate if they are done in a
strategic way that will help solve the immigration problem both now
and in the future. Such an approach ought not to be used if its most
likely outcome will be a temporary solution and a future repetition
of exactly the same problem.

Chief
among those who cannot care for themselves are the unborn children.
The United States as a whole bears the responsibility for the blood
of millions of unborn children who were murdered through abortion. It
is tragic enough that abortion is currently a form of legal murder,
but it is absolutely disastrous that many politicians, activists, and
private citizens now promote abortion as a matter of women's health
or women's reproductive rights. It is odd indeed that it is generally
considered a double case of homicide to murder a pregnant woman, yet
it is now considered a woman's right to murder that very same child.
A woman simply does not have the right to kill her unborn child. It
is not a matter of health or reproductive rights, but a simple matter
of right and wrong. Admonishing a woman that she does not have the
right to kill her unborn child is not intolerance to the mother, but
intolerance to the act of abortion and all the evil that it entails.
Anyone procuring or performing an abortion is guilty of murder.
Governments permitting abortion are guilty of murder. Anyone in
society advocating or voting in favor of abortion or for politicians
who openly support abortion are guilty of murder.

When it
comes to matters of faith and morals, there can be no wall built
between the Church and the public. We as Christians have an absolute
duty to act in all things according to the principles of our faith.
This includes our jobs, our private associations, our families, and
our civic duties, such as voting. We cannot claim to be Christian if
we lay aside our principles when we enter the voting booth or take
public office.

There is a
strong move by the present government in America to replace God with
the State. Such would take us down the road of socialism or communism
experienced by other great societies in the past century and even
today, and it has always led to problems, partial collapse, or even
total destruction. Socialism and communism are incompatible with
Christianity. Christ must remain on our altars, never to be replaced
with the State or money or anything else. America in particular
stands at a crossroads. The American nation will soon choose whether
to continue to follow the path of evil or to embark on a journey
towards restoration of true peace and freedom for all. The Holy Faith
cannot be sidelined, for the Faith is at the very root of all the
issues being decided. Christians must not cooperate with evil.
Christians must vote for life. No matter the outcome, Christians must
stand firm in the faith and never give in to tyranny. The many and
diverse issues facing America at the moment will never begin to be
solved until society as a whole embraces Christ once again and learns
to love and respect one another.

Through the prayers and merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Blessed
Michael the Archangel, Blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles
Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, may Almighty God have mercy on
you, forgive you your sins, and bring you to everlasting life. R. Amen.

The
Almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon, + absolution, and
remission of all your sins, time for a true and fruitful penance, an
always repentant heart and amendment of life, the grace and
consolation of the Holy Spirit, and final perseverance in good works.
R. Amen.

And
the Blessing of Almighty God, + Father, + Son, and Holy + Ghost, be
upon you and remain with you always. R. Amen.